Walter Trout
With his life-threatening illness now viewed purely in the rearview mirror, Walter Trout has never sounded so ALIVE. Therefore, this was the title he gave the 2016 album that was recorded in Amsterdam’s opulent Royal Theatre Carré. The album reached the top of the Blues Charts and received an avalanche of praise from BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris & Paul Jones, Vintage TV, Jazz FM, Planet Rock, Team Rock and Total Rock. There was adulation from all corners of the press; “As intimate as it gets” declared Classic Rock; “There’s no doubt, he’s back” said Blues in Britain, Fireworks called it “a very emotional album”, Powerplay followed with a 9/10 review saying it was “Blues at its very best…[and] crackles with energy and electricity right from the start”, Guitarist Magazine bowed down with a 8/10 review proclaiming it was “a rollercoaster ride through some of the most exciting blues your ears will ever witness” and another 9/10 review came from The Blues calling him “a road warrior reborn.”
It is this energy that is characteristic of all his live shows of late. Walter is certainly not holding back, “If people are expecting a laid-back show, that’s not what they’ll get. This is potent stuff…” he says.
As Trout’s army of British fans are painfully aware, his illness in 2013/2014 took the bandleader to the brink, following a bleak diagnosis of life-threatening liver failure and hepatitis C. In May of 2014, a liver transplant in the 11th hour saved his life, and he has been touring jubilantly since his comeback show at the Royal Albert Hall in June of 2015.
Now he is delighted to be coming back to the UK with a tour entitled ALIVE, celebrating the renewed energy that he has been enjoying since his extraordinary recovery.
“I am thrilled to come back to the UK, once again, with my awesome band. We have become so tight lately that we literally read each other’s minds on stage – we’re like one entity up there,” explains the frontman of his seat-of-the-pants interplay with drummer Michael Leasure, keyboards ace Sammy Avila and bassist Johnny Griparic. “We play very spontaneously, and I gauge what to play next by the crowd’s response and the feel up there.”
Since Walter’s comeback, the shows have been filled with joy; each show feels like a celebration. “I am even more excited about this particular tour of the UK because I will have two of my sons opening the show for me.” The Trout Brothers Band appear exclusively on the spring 2017 UK dates. Their band consists of eldest son, Jon, on guitar and vocals, middle son, Mike, on drums, and family friend Adam on bass. “My kids’ power trio kicks serious ass – and it is a lifelong dream for me to have my family touring with me. I am never happier than when my road family and my actual family work together on reaching my fan family, so this tour of the UK is a dream come true for me.”